Apparatus for making and applying ruching



June 14, 1932. A, LI 1,863,189

APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND APPLYING RUCHING Filed Oct. 10, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet l Znuenfior:

Ari'hu 7 E. Cal Zinq,

Jurie 14, 1932. A. E. COLLINS 1,863,189

APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND APPLYING RUCHING Fild Oct. 10, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inwen sz:

Arih url'. Collin-s,

June 14, 1932. A, LUN 1,863,189

APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND APPLYING RUCHING Filed Oct. 10, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet :s

Inceni'or:

Arj'hurl Z Collins,

June 14, 1932. A. E. COLLINS 1,863,139

I APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND APPLYING RUCHING F iled Oct. 10, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor,-

Ari/2 urli'. CoZZz'ns, y %%MW June 14, 1932. ,A. E. COLLINS APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND APPLYING RUCHING Filed Oct 10, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inv enibh Ariizur Z". Col Z Patented June 14, 1932 ST ATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR n. COLLINS, or CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, ro MILLER RUBBER COMPANY INC., on WILMINGTON, DELAW'ARE, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE APPARATUS FOR MAKIliTG AND APPLYING RUCHING Application filed October 10, 1929.

My present invention relates'to improvements in machines for forming and applying ruchin to rubber sheets used in the formaition ofarticles of Wearing apparel such as rubber aprons, bathing caps, and other articles and is in the nature'of an improvement upon Letters Patent of the United States dated January 11, 1927, #1513983.

The invention aims to provide amachine in which the rushing will be formed and applied to the upper surface of the sheet instead of the lower as in my aforesaid patent.

It: further aims to provide a machine in which the ruching will be formed by means *distinct or spaced from the applying means whereby. the formingand applying are per formed as successive steps Or operations.

A further object is to provide a construction'in which the ruching, after it leaves the forming means, will pass to an applying roll driven at a'sligh ter faster speed, whereby it is maintained under slight tension and a more eflective application secured.

other'obyects are to provide a construction by which .ruching maybe formed and applied to any part of a body sheet alongany desired path in sightof 'theoperator, and with which such applications may be started and stopped at any desired point on said surface.

The invention also aims to provide a machine which may be conveniently operated and the presser or ruching applying machine released from the work for inserting or adjusting the position of the body sheet.

With these and other objects in view which will be readily apparent from the following description, the invention includes the novel features of construction and arrangement and combination of par-ts hereinafter described. what I regard as my invention being defined by the claimsappended thereto.

An embodiment of the invention and a modification thereof are illustrated in the ac companying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away.

Fig.2 is an end view looking from the left Of Fig. 1.

Figfia is an enlarged view'of parts shown in 2.

Serial No. 398,674.

Fig. 3 is a view of the rear end of the standard and associated parts with the table shown in section.

Fig. 4 is plan view of the supporting frame with certain associated parts, and partly in section.

Fig. 5 is a detail illustrating the drive control.

Fig. 6 is a. vertical, sectional, detail view illustrating the ruching applying means.

Fi 7 is a plan view of a portion of an article with ruching applied thereto.

Fig. 8 is a view in side elevation partly broken away, showing a modified form of ruching forming and applying means.

Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the same.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail of the ruching forming wheels of this modification.

Fig. 11 is a substantially horizontal section of the same, and

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a portion of an article with ruching as applied by this modified means.

The machine is preferably made in the general form of a sewing machine compris ing a lower base portion having a work supporting table and an overlying arm having a head depending into proximity to the table and carrying ruching forming and applying means.

The body material or unvulcanized rubber sheet is indicated at 1 and is fed across or along the table into the bight of the presser, rolls, or wheels 33 and 35 hereinafter more fully described by which the pleated ruching strip is applied.

The ribbon, also of unvulcanized rubber, is indicated at 2, coming from a tray or other suitable source of supply and fed loosely over the top of a curved guideway 3 and down the same to the bight of what I term presser and tuck rolls numbered 4 and 5, respectively.

These rolls are designed for applying a ruching with a puckered center and to this end are specially formed, as hereinafter described.

In Fig. 7 I have shown in plan a section of body sheet 1 with ruching 2 attached to one edge thereof from which it will be seen Hill that the ruching is adhesively attached or welded to the foundation sheet along two parallel lines 2a, 2a, between which is an intermediate puckered portion or area 2?) giving a pleasing effect. 7

When desired, the ruching strip .is made Wider than the rolls which provides a projecting pleated skirt as indicated at 20. The ruching strip may be applied to any part of the body sheet along either a straight or devious path.

Presser roll 4 is of plain cylindrical formation, while roll 5 is provided with a central annular channel 5a providing two side annular raised portions or ribs 56 milled to provide corrugated surfaces and each of which is preferably also provided with a shallow circumferential groove 50. e

The ruching action is performed by a ruching blade 6 mounted to reciprocate substantially tangentially to the bight of the rolls but deflected slightly to one side of said bight to coact with the presser roll to form the pleats and force them into the bight, such blade being substantially the width of the rolls.

This blade in its reciprocating movement acts on the ribbon as it is fed downward. past roll 4'and successively gathers it into pleats and feeds them into the bights of the raised contacting portions of the rolls, which cause the pleats to adhere along the lines of said raised portions and feed the pleated ribbon through between the rolls, one of saidrolls being yieldingly mounted as hereinafter described. The pleating action of the blade is similar to that described in my former patent hereinbefore referred to.

Reciprocating movement of the ruching blade 1s effected by arm 7 mounted on the end of oscillating shaft 8 having an operating connection with an arm 50 pivotally supported by theshaft 27 upon which the roll 5 is journaled.

This arm 50 has a shoulder 50a to which the tucking blade 6 is secured by means such as set screws 6a, and from which it projects be tween the rolls, being arranged so as to contact with the ribbon or ruching sheet as it passes down past roll 4 and before it reaches the actual-bight of the roll.

The operating connection between arms 7 and 50 is in the shape of a sliding pivotal connection which preferably comprises providing the arm 7 with a slot 7a in which is slldably located a block or slide member 53 rotatably carried by pin 52 fast on arm 50.

From this, it will be seen that as shaft 8 oscillates and imparts corresponding move ment to arm 7, the latter through slide block 53 imparts corresponding oscillating movement to arm 50 and this causes reciprocating movement to be imparted to the blade 6. The speed of shaft 8 is such, relative to the speed of the rolls, that the blade 6 has a rate of travel very much faster than the speed of the rolls and ruching strip passing therebetween. The blade is of resilient material and it will be seen that when retracted, its end willengage a portion of the ruching strip relatively remote from the bight of the rolls, and as it moves forward, it will gather the strip into a fold or pleat as shown in Fig. 2a. Gn its return movement, it will slideover the surface of the strip to engage a succeeding portion of the strip or sheet for the next ruching or pleating action.

In order to operate shaft 8, it has affixed thereto within the standard an arm 10 which is connected by link rod 11 with the crank pin 12a of a crank 12. This crank is fast on shaft l4journaled in the machine base which shaft projects beyond the base casing 15 and is driven at relatively high speed by pulley 13 and belt 13a to impart to the tucker blade 6 a relatively rapid movement.

Belt 13a is driven from a transmitter mechanism 16 provided with a friction clutch 16a operated from a treadle 166, the transmitter receiving its power from a motor 17 located beneath the machine table or base.

A horizontal shaft 18 journaled in the machine frame or base below the table line is driven from shaft 14 through speed reduction gearing comprising preferably a worm 20 on shaft 14 meshing with a worm wheel 20a on counter shaft 206 which in turn carries a worm gear 200 meshing with a worm wheel 20d on shaft 18. A sprocket 21 is affixed to shaft 18, which through chain 22 and sprocket 23 drivesshaft 24 located in the hollow arm 9 and journaled in ball bearings 24a at the opposite ends thereof.

Said shaft 24 within the upper end of the head 9a carries a sprocket 25 which, by means of chain 25a drives sprocket 26 formed or fast on a sleeve 26a loosely carried by shaft 27 fixed in the lower portion of head 9a.

Pressed onto this sleeve or otherwise suitably secured thereto is the tuck. wheel or roll 5 which cooperates with the presser wheel 4, said wheels or rolls being those heretofore referred to, and said tuckingwheel has fixedly connected therewith a gear 29 which drives the presser roll which applies the pleated tape to the body material in the manner hereinafter described.

The tuck wheel 5 is thus positively driven at relatively slow speed compared to the speed of movement of the tucker blade. The cooperating presser wheel 4 is carried by the one arm of bell crank lever 32 fulcrumed on a fixed pivot in the head, the other arm 32a of which is connected by spring 31 which is connected to adjusting screw 81a passing through an opening in lug 9% carried by the head and provided with milled adjusting nut 31?). e

By this arrangement, the pressure of the wheel 4 may be varied according to circumstances and caused, in connection with wheel 5, to effectually weld together the tucks or pleats formed by the tucker blade irrespective of the character of the particular material to roll 5 and .which is journaled at the lower end of thehead and driven by gears 34 and 34a from gear 29 hereinbefore referred to, the train of gears being used to properly locate wheel 33 and drive the same at a slightly faster speed than wheel 5 to ensure the ruching trip being kept taut after leaving the bight of rolls 4 and 5.

Located beneath the wheel 33 and having a portion of its periphery projecting through an opening in the table is a presser wheel 35 having a plain periphery and journaled on the one arm of a two armed lever 36 fulcrumed on a fixed pivot on base plate 37, the other arm of which is connected by spring 36a to screw 36?) provided with adjusting nut 360.

By the cooperating action of rolls or wheels 33 and 35, the ruching strip is applied to and welded on the foundation or body strip along any desired path.

The arm of lever 36 which carries roll 35 has an extension 36d connected by link 38a with bell crank lever 38 which latter is connected by link 39 with lever 40 fulcrumed on a fixedpivot on the base plate 37, and the lower end of which is adapted to be pushed in one direction by an arm 41 carried on a counter shaft 42 mounted under the base plate. This shaft also carries a downwardly extending arm 41a arranged in position and having a plate 43 mounted thereon to be moved laterally by the operators knee, at such times as is needed to release the presser wheel 35 as in stopping or starting the application of ruching along a given path, or in making any rapid angular departure in such path.

It will be noted from the drawings and the description that the ruching is applied to the foundation sheet on the upper side thereof and the point of application is at the table line in position where the operator can observe the work and see how to guide the irregular contour of theh edge or other part of the apron or other article to enable the ruching to be properly applied thereto.

On shaft 18 is a gear 44 which may be coupled to automatic ribbon feeding mechanism, (not shown) to drive the latter, or the ribbon may be fed from trays arranged to furnish a continuous feed of ribbon to the guide.

In Figs. 8 to 11, I have shown a modified form in which the ruching is formed by rotary crimping wheels or disks having relatively deep loosely meshing teeth.

In this form, I provide a main wheel 144 having two rows of spaced apart annular teeth and an intervening depressed portion or channel, as clearly shown in Fig. 11, each annular series of teeth being engaged by the teeth of a coacting wheel 145, said wheels 144 and 145 being journaled to rotate about fixed axes, and said wheels 145 being spaced apart to permit the passage therebetween of presser wheel 146 which cooperates with the channel between the rows of teeth of wheel 144. Said presser wheel 146 is journaled on a stud shaft carried by the arm 147 of a bell crank lever fulc-rumed at 148, the other arm 149 of which is placed under the adjustable tension of spring 150 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the form first described.

As the ruching strip 2 is fed down between the toothed wheels, it is formed by the cooperating teeth into a succession of loops which are welded together by the presser wheel which, due to the fact that its axis is at a lowor level than the axes of wheels 144 and 145 acts on the strip subsequent to the action of the teeth in forming the loops. noticed from Fig. 11 that the presser wheel has a central annular groove or depression and two side annular ribs having milled peripheries.

Said milled ribs form two parallel rows of welds with an intervening puckered portion as shown in Fig. 1. This form also provides free pleated edges or skirts opposite sides of the rows of welds as will be apparent from Fig. 12. The presence of the upper rufl'le or 1 skirt (Fig. 12) or the relative widths of the upper and lower are dependent on the manner of guiding the ruching strip to the ruching wheels as will be obvious.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the class described a pair of coacting rolls one having an annular channel in the central portions of its periphery, means for directing a ribbon to be ruched 1' to said rolls, a ruching blade arranged to act on said ribbon in line with said channeled portion and adjacent the bight of the rolls,

It will be means for rotating said rolls and operating said ruching blade, and means for applying the ruched ribbon to a body sheet.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of coacting rolls having parallel axes located in a plane inclined to the horizontal, a q guide for directing a plastic ribbon downi wardly to the bight of said rolls, a ruching blade working in a plane substantially tangential to the bight of the rolls and adjacent the same, means for rotating said rolls and operating said blade, and means located beneath said rolls for applying the ribbon to a body sheet.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of coacting rolls having parallel axes located in a plane inclined to the horizontal,

one of said rolls having an annular channel in the central portions of its periphery and side contacting portions, a guide for directing a plastic ribbon downwardly to the bight of said rolls, a ruching blade arranged to act on said ribbon in line with said channels and adjacent the bight of the rolls, means for driving said rolls and actuating said blade, and means associated with said rolls for applying the ruched ribbon to a body sheet.

4. In apparatus of the class described a table, a head located above the table, ribbon ruching means carried by said head including coacting rolls with means for rotating them, means for directing the ribbon to be ruched to said rolls, and means for applying the ruched ribbon to a body sheet comprising a driven roll carried by said head in proximity to said table, means for driving said driven roll at a faster surface speed than said ruching rolls, and a presser roll yieldingly mounted below the table, said table having an opening through which the presser roll projects into contact with said driven roll.

5. In apparatus of the class described a table, a head located above the table, ribbon ruching means carried by said head including coacting rolls withmeans for rotatingthem, means for directing the ribbon to be ruched to said rolls, and means for applying the ruched ribbonto a body sheet comprising a driven roll carried by said head in proximity to said table and a presser roll yieldingly mounted below the table, said table having an opening through which the presser roll projects into contact with said driven roll, and means convenientto the knee of the .operator for depressing said presser roll.

6. In apparatusof the'class described, a pair of coacting ruching rolls including a driven roll and a presser roll, means for directing a ribbon to the bight of said rolls, an arm fulcrumed to oscillate about the axis of said driven roll, a ruching blade carried by a portion of said arm remote from said axis,

and an oscillating arm having a sliding pivotal connection with a portion of said first named arm remote from its axis.

7. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of coacting ruching rolls including a driven roll and a presser roll, means for directing a ribbon to the bight of said rolls, an arm fulcrumed to oscillate about the axis of said driven roll, a ruching blade carried by a portion of said arm remote from said axis, an oscillating arm having its free end overlapping the end of said first named arm, a. guideway in one of said arms, and a slide member slidably in said guideway and pivotally connected to the other arm.

8. Rubber ruching forming apparatus including a pair of rolls one of which is yieldingly pressed towards the other and means for feeding a rubber ribbon thereto, one of i said rolls having a peripheral channel and annular ribs on each side of said channel having milled peripheries.

9. Apparatus for forming and applying a narrow strip of ruching to a bod sheet, said apparatus comprising a table or supporting a body sheet, means above said table for forming and applying a ruching strip along a narrow path on the free surface of said sheet, and cooperating pressing means projecting through said table.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 including means for stretching the ruching strip between the forming means and the point of application.

7 11. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 including means for withdrawing the pressing means from engagement with the work.

12. Apparatus for forming and applying a ruching to a body sheet, said apparatus comprising a table for supporting the body sheet, means for forming a strip of ruching, and means for uniting said ruching to the free surface of said sheet, said last-named means being adapted to permit application of the ruching along a devious path. I

13. Apparatus for forming and applying a narrow strip of ruching to a body sheet, said apparatus comprising a table for supporting the body sheet, means for forming an elastic ruching strip and means including a pressure roller projecting through the table for applying said strip to a body sheet while said strip is in a stretched condition.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

ARTHUR E. COLLINS. 

